Roll the Dice, Run for Your Life
by Rose Madder
Summary: While Piper, Leo, Phoebe, Cole, Paige and David experience the aftermath of the mixed powers, a demon is on its way to summon them to play his very own version of an ancient board game. Sequel to Whose Power Is It Anyway? HIATUS
1. Here They Go Again...

Note #1: Since this is the sequel to "Whose Power Is It Anyway?", it'll be better understood by those who have read the previous story. Keep in mind that it has nothing to do with "Redemption", "The Demon's Advocate" and "So Mote It Be".

Note #2: Remember how "Whose Power Is It Anyway?" took place on a Friday night? Well, this story starts one week later, on the next Friday morning.

Credits: I don't own Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Cole or Leo. David is mine, though, and so are the Master of the Game and all his evil creatures.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"Good morning," says Phoebe as she and Cole enter the kitchen, holding hands.

"Good morning!" says Piper, putting some freshly baked pancakes on Leo's plate. "Pancakes, anyone?"

"Please," says Phoebe, pulling a chair and sitting opposite to Leo. "I'm starving."

"Am I entitled to have pancakes, too?" Cole asks, sitting by Phoebe's side.

"Considering you arrived just in time to save my life yesterday," says Piper, smirking, "I'd say yes, you deserve some pancakes. How is your arm, by the way?"

"I'll live," says Cole, stretching his arm and looking at the partially closed wound, where the claws of the demon they vanquished yesterday scraped him. "Although Leo's powers can't heal me completely, they were enough to clear the poison."

He carefully touches the wound, wincing as his fingers graze the more sensitive area in the center.

"Ouch!" says Leo, grimacing and holding his own arm.

"Honey, are you okay?" Piper asks, worried.

"I must have hit my arm harder than I thought when that guy sent me flying across the room," he says. "Although there are no visible bruises, it's been sore all night."

"When Paige wakes up, ask her to heal you," says Piper, putting a plate with pancakes in front of Phoebe and Cole and sitting by her husband's side. "Where's she, by the way? She's gonna be late for work. Again."

"She'd better not lose that job," says Phoebe, helping herself to some pancakes, "this house cannot afford another unemployed resident."

"Uh-hu," Cole agrees absently, spreading Piper's famous home made cranberry jelly over his own pancakes. God, he loves this cranberry jelly! So sweet, and tart, and... wait a minute, **_honey like_**? Cole stops chewing, bewildered. He didn't put honey on top of his pancakes. Did he? He looks at the pancakes: no honey here. Yet, he definitely tastes honey. He spits the pancake back on his plate, causing the three people sitting at the kitchen table to give him horrified looks.

"Cole!!! Ick!" shrieks Piper, grimacing.

"Baby, what are you doing?" Phoebe asks, shocked.

"This isn't honey," says Cole, frowning as he examines the remains of the pancake with an intrigued expression.

"Gee, Cole, if you wanted the honey all you had to do was ask!" says Leo, pushing the honey pot towards him.

"I didn't want the honey," says Cole, impatiently. "But my cranberry jelly tasted like honey." Seeing the incredulous looks on their faces, he insists, stubbornly: "Well, it did!"

Leo reaches out and takes a piece of pancake from Cole's plate, carefully avoiding the half-eaten remains he has just spat, and eats it.

"Tastes like jelly to me," he says after swallowing.

Cole puts another piece in his mouth, and says, puzzled:

"Yeah, it does taste like jelly now. But it tasted like honey before!"

"Okay, now you're scaring me," says Phoebe, apprehension spreading all over her face. "This is the second time this week you feel something out of place." -- Cole opens his mouth to protest, but she cuts him off -- "Baby, there's no way you could have heard the Star Wars theme song in Golden Gate Park."

"Well, for that, there may be a rational explanation," Leo offers, "Piper rented the trilogy on Wednesday, and we watched all three episodes in a row. Maybe the song got stuck in his head."

"No," says Cole, "Phoebe and I were out all day on Wednesday. While you were here watching the movie, I was in Golden Gate Park... hearing the theme song," he adds, eyeing Phoebe, and she sighs heavily.

"There wasn't..." she starts, but then Paige bursts in.

"Damn, I'm late, I'm late, I'm so freaking la..." -- Paige hits her hip hard on the corner of the table.

"OUCH!!!!" she and Piper yell at the same time, each one holding her own hip.

"Oh, man, why does everything happen when I'm..." -- Paige stops short as she notices the heavy silence that has fallen over the room.

"What's wrong?" she asks, warily.

"Paige, have you experienced anything, uh... unusual lately?" Piper asks, massaging her sore hip.

"You mean, besides me exploding things, my boyfriend orbing, Whitelighters throwing energy balls, demons having premonitions, witches shimmering and, oh, let's not forget that gator like demon that came over yesterday..." -- Paige furrows her brow in mock concentration -- "Gee, I don't know!"

"Now that you've amused us with your clever sense of humor," says Piper, making a face on her, "care to answer my question?"

"I'm serious, Piper," says Paige, reaching out between Cole and Phoebe to pick up the coffeepot. "Unusual like what?"

"Like hearing things that aren't there, or realizing that something tastes or feels different than it was supposed to?..."

"I don't know if it qualifies," says Paige, "but my hands got numb for a little while yesterday... It didn't last long: I was typing a report, they got numb, I had to stop typing, and then they were back to normal. And even though I'm afraid I won't like the answer to this question, I have to ask it anyway: why do you want to know?"

"Well, my hip ached when you hit yours," says Piper, shrugging.

"And Cole's food tasted like what Piper was eating," says Phoebe, pointing at the honey covered pancakes on Piper's plate.

"Hum! Maybe that's why my arm aches," says Leo, frowning.

"Is it aching now?" Cole asks.

"No," says Leo, "but your jelly doesn't taste like honey any more, does it?"

"You're right: it doesn't. By the way, at what time did you and Piper watched Star Wars?"

"Right after lunch," says Leo, "so I suppose it was at about two o'clock. Does the time match?"

"I'm afraid so..." Cole sighs.

"So, my hands getting numb...?" says Paige.

"Yesterday? Probably, me defrosting the fridge," says Leo. "By the way, is any of you, uh, ticklish?" he asks, giving the others an uncertain look.

Cole nearly spits the coffee he's drinking, and Phoebe blushes furiously. It takes a few seconds for Leo to understand what followed the tickling, but when it sinks in, he, too, turns as red as possible, and quickly assures them:

"It only lasted a moment: all I felt was the tickling!"

"Eeeeeeeeew!" say both Piper and Paige at the same time.

"You know what?" says Cole. "Until whatever it is that's happened to us is reverted, there'll be no kissing, no cuddling, no touching anything around here!"

"It's a deal," say the others in one voice.

"Which leads to my next question," says Piper, "what the hell is going on here?"

"Paper and pen!" Paige calls. As the said items appear on her hand, she gives them to Leo.

"Here we go again..." he sighs as he starts writing. "Piper and Cole, Cole and I, me and Paige, Paige and Piper... Anything else?"

"Uh, french fries, Tuesday afternoon, anyone?" says Phoebe. As Leo raises his hand, she waves her finger at him, saying: "You put way too much salt on your food: I almost threw my own french fries away."

Leo picks up the list he's written and reads it out loud:

_Piper --> Cole  
Cole --> Leo  
Paige --> Piper  
Leo --> Paige  
Leo --> Phoebe_

He gives the paper a dejected look and says:

"Well, I'm clueless. Unless any of you have a better idea, I'll go check with the Elders."

"I think you should ask them," says Phoebe, pouring herself more coffee, then taking Cole's cup, intending to refill it, too. "I'm afraid I'm... Oh!" -- she drops the cup, spilling some coffee on the table.

"Premonition?" says Cole, passing his arm around her shoulders protectively.

"Y-yes," she says, shaken. "I saw you fighting this big, ogre like guy. And I don't think you were winning."

"Here?" Piper asks.

"No," says Phoebe. "Outdoors. There was a river, and a bridge over it, and they were on the bridge."

"Were any of us around?" Paige asks.

"Not that I saw," says Phoebe. "Then again, it was very quick, I could be wrong."

Just then, the phone rings, startling them all. Paige reaches out for it, and despite the seriousness of the situation, a smile spreads over her face as she recognizes David's voice.

"Hi, honey, I... You what???" -- Paige's eyes grow as big as possible -- "Uh, Dave, let me put Phoebe on the line, okay? I think you should tell it to her."

She hands the phone to Phoebe, saying:

"David thinks he's just had a premonition."

While Phoebe talks to David, Leo stands up, saying:

"Now I definitely think I should talk to the Elders."

"Wait," says Cole, reaching out for the paper on which Leo was writing. He writes the names of Phoebe and David on the bottom of the list and says: "I think I see a pattern here."

Leo, Piper and Paige give him inquisitive looks and he says, following the list:

"Last Friday, I had Piper's freezing power; Leo had my power to throw energy balls; Piper had Paige's healing power, Paige had Leo's radar, Phoebe had his orbing power, and David had Phoebe's levitating power."

"Oh dear..." says Piper.

"While Leo talks to the Elders I'll bring David here," says Paige, standing up.

"No, you won't," Leo promptly says. Paige gives him a surprised look and he says: "I had your TK power; if Cole's hypothesis is right, you won't get anywhere near David until this is over. You go get him," he adds, pointing at Cole.

Cole is just about to make a smart remark when he remembers that one week ago he had Piper's freezing power. As Phoebe hands him the phone so that David can give him his address, he says to her, pointing at Leo:

"Knock him out, if you need, but keep him away from Piper."

Once Leo has orbed out and Cole has shimmered out, Paige picks up the phone to call her boss and take a sick day. She turns to her sisters and says:

"This is gonna be another of those days, isn't it?"

"You bet..." Piper sighs, already on her way to the attic.


	2. All the Wrong Clues

"Don't bother," says Paige, before Piper leaves the kitchen. "Book of Shadows!" she calls, and the book appears on the counter.

While Paige talks to her boss, trying to sound as convincingly sick as possible, Piper browses the Book of Shadows and Phoebe cleans up the coffee she spilled on the table.

Once she has hung up, Paige spots a book resting on the counter, under her purse. She picks up the book, saying:

"Well, I'd better hide this before David arrives here; it's supposed to be a surprise for his birthday, but I think right now the mood has been pretty much spoiled."

"_History of Board Games_," says Phoebe, reading the name on the cover. "Board games?" she repeats, raising an eyebrow.

"I have to admit that it sounds quite boring," says Paige, giggling, "but David loves this kind of stuff: he has tons of books about the origin and history of games from all over the world, and he's been after this particular one for a lot of time. Ironically, I ran into it by accident, on a second-hand bookstore."

"Well," says Phoebe, smiling and touching her arm, "if it'll make him happy, good for you."

"Phoebe," says Piper, looking at the Book of Shadows, "there's a picture of an ogre here: see if it's the one you saw in your premonition."

Phoebe goes look at the Book of Shadows, and Paige is about to follow her when a piece of paper slips from between the pages of the book she's holding and falls on the floor. Paige kneels down and picks up the paper sheet: it looks old and yellowed, but the words written on it can still be read clearly.

"No, it's definitely not the same guy," says Phoebe, looking at the picture Piper is pointing at. "Did you find anything about side effects of changing powers?"

"What is this?" Paige mutters to herself, before Piper can answer.

"What's what, Paige?" Piper asks, looking at her.

"This," she says, reading it out loud, _"Ich nehme Ihre Herausforderung an: lassen Sie die Spiele anfangen."_

As soon as Paige pronounces the last word, she, Piper and Phoebe shriek in shock and surprise as an invisible force lift them from the floor and the world revolves around them. Seconds later, as Cole and David shimmer in the living room, there's nothing left in the kitchen but the Book of Shadows, resting on the counter.

"So," David is saying, "you think we're experiencing some kind of side effects of last Friday's powers mix up?"

"That's my guess," says Cole, looking around. "Phoebe!" he calls. "Baby?"

Getting no answer, he walks towards the stairs, motioning for David to follow him:

"Come on: they must be in the attic."

"You know," says David, following him upstairs, "I have been smelling Paige's perfume all week long, at the oddest moments." He blushes slightly as he adds: "I assumed it was just me missing her but, considering what you've told me..."

"Now that you've mentioned it," says Cole, "Phoebe's perfume has been following me around, too."

"This is way too weird," says David, waving his head. "How do we get rid of it?"

"That's what we're about to..." -- Cole stops at the attic door, looking at the pedestal where the Book of Shadows should be resting.

"They're not here," he says, frowning.

Right then, Leo orbs in. He looks from the empty pedestal to Cole and David, with an inquisitive look in his eyes.

"We have just arrived, too," says Cole. "But I don't think they're on the first floor."

"Did you look on the second floor?" Leo asks, concerned.

"No. Let's check the bedrooms."

The three men walk downstairs, starting to feel the first tingles of apprehension.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Piper, Phoebe and Paige fall heavily on the ground and immediately jump back to their feet, nervously looking around. They're in the middle of a meadow, with no one else in sight.

"Where are we?" says Paige, with some anxiety.

"Thanks to you, we don't know," says Piper, sourly. "Paige, how many times have I told you: if it rhymes, or it's written in a foreign language, you do not, repeat, do **_not_** read it out loud? Have you forgotten the evil sorcerer already?"

"Sorry," says Paige, embarrassed. "I guess I wasn't thinking..."

"Humph!" Piper grunts, wiping the grass from her pants.

"I say we call Leo," says Phoebe, trying to change the subject. Looking around and making sure there's no one in the surroundings, she sets the example, calling: "Leo!"

Piper and Paige soon join her, their voices rising in anxiety as Leo doesn't answer:

"Leo!"

"Leo!"

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Leo, Cole and David are on their way to the first floor when Leo stops short, looking around with a somewhat confused look.

"What's wrong?" David asks.

"They're calling."

"The Elders?" says Cole.

"No," says Leo. "The girls. All three of them."

"Well, that's good news," says Cole. "Where are they?"

"That's the weird thing," says Leo, frowning slightly, "I don't know. I can hear them, but their voices are muffled, as if there was some kind of, uh... interference."

"Are they okay?" Cole asks, worried.

"I think so," says Leo. Then he waves his head, saying: "It's gone."

"What do you mean, gone?" David asks, nervously.

"They must have given up, when I didn't answer," says Leo, starting to walk downstairs again. "Come on," he says, "we have to check the first floor, there must be a clue somewhere."

"Where were they when you shimmered to my apartment?" David asks Cole as they follow Leo.

"In the kitchen," says Cole, already heading to the kitchen's door, and David and Leo follow him.

Once in the kitchen, they're glad to see that the Book of Shadows is still there. While Leo walks towards the Book and Cole keeps a safe distance, David spots the book Paige has bought for him lying on the floor, and he kneels down to pick it up. He smiles as he reads the title, guessing that it must be Paige's birthday gift for him. The thought that she's missing brings a cold feeling to his stomach, though, and his smile has already faded when Leo exclaims:

"Here!"

Cole and David give him inquisitive looks and he says, pointing at the picture of the ogre that Piper showed to Phoebe earlier:

"They were probably searching the Book of Shadows for some info on Phoebe's premonition when they were attacked: fortunately, the Book stood open on the page showing the ogre she saw, so we shouldn't have trouble following them."

"That's great," says Cole. "David, do you recognize the guy from the premonition?"

"Sorry," says David, "it was very quick and kinda blurred: I hadn't even realized it was you on the bridge with him until Phoebe told me so." -- he studies the picture for a while -- "But I guess, yes, it could be him."

"Well, is there a vanquishing spell or potion there?" Cole asks.

"There's a potion," says Leo. "The name of the ogre is Targish: have you ever heard of him?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," says Cole. "Let's prepare this vanquishing potion and I'll shimmer us to his lair."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"This is useless!" Piper sighs. "If Leo could hear us, he'd already have come."

"We need to find out where we are," says Phoebe, giving an unenthusiastic look around. "So, what do you say? Should we walk towards that nothing," -- she points northward -- "that nothing," -- she points eastward -- "that nothing," -- she points southward -- "or that nothing?" -- she points westward.

"Maybe we should just wait here," says Piper, uncertain. "Sooner or later Leo and Cole will find the spell that brought us here: don't you think it'd bring them to the place we are now?"

"Uh, about them finding the spell..." Paige gives her sisters a sheepish look as she shows them the piece of paper containing the spell.

"Aaaaaaargh!" Piper snarls, as she glares briefly at Paige and walks past her without another word, heading east.

"I'm trying to support you here," Phoebe mutters between clenched teeth, as she and Paige follow Piper, "but you're not helping!"


	3. The Royal Game of the Goose

Note: There's really a game named "The Royal Game of the Goose". I'll explain the rules as we go, but in case someone is curious, you can find the rules at:

http://www.recoveredscience.com/gooserules.htm

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"David, the pepperbox is in this cabinet right behind you," says Leo. The Book of Shadows lies before him on the kitchen table, open on the page showing the ogre's picture and the recipe for the vanquishing potion. "Can you get it, please?"

"Sure," says David, already opening the cabinet and searching for the pepperbox.

"Cole, there are some ingredients on this list that I believe we're out of," says Leo.

"Just tell me what you need and I'll go get it," says Cole.

"Well, there's pomegranate's seed and... hey!" -- Leo takes a step back when the pages of the Book of Shadows start to flip on their own.

"What's that?" David asks, alarmed.

"Hum, just a little help from above," says Cole, whilst taking a cautious step back.

"And you're backing away because...?" David says, raising his eyebrows.

"Well," Cole sighs, "this Book isn't very fond of me."

"The Master of the Game?" says Leo, frowning as he looks at the contents of the current page. "What the hell...?" -- he gives an uncertain look upwards -- "Listen, Penny, we appreciate your help, really..."

"Who's Penny?" David whispers to Cole.

"The girls' grandmother," Cole whispers back.

"...but first," says Leo, reaching out and starting to flip the pages back to the ogre's picture "let us gather the ingredients for the vanquishing potion and..."

Leo never finishes the sentence as the Book of Shadows suddenly slam shut, painfully catching his right hand.

"Ouch!" he shouts, shaking his hurt hand. "Penny, what's the matter with you today?"

"I doubt it's her," says Cole, chuckling. "With this temper, it's more likely to be Prue."

As he says this, the Book of Shadows is slid across the table by an invisible force until it stops before Cole.

"See?" Cole says, smirking. Looking up, he says: "Anyway, thank you but I have no intention of touching this book ever again. Leo," he adds, motioning for Leo to approach, "would you please?..."

"Sure," says Leo, casting a slightly annoyed look upwards. "Death hasn't softened you a bit, huh?" he mutters.

"The Master of the Game," says Leo, reading it out loud, "this demon is known for taking innocent people to his domains, where they must play for their lives. His realm is a board game, and the people entrapped there are the counters."

"So, that's where they are?" David asks, joining them and giving the pictures in the Book a curious look.

"At least, according to Prue," says Leo scratching his head. "But I don't see where the ogre fits in."

"Maybe Phoebe's premonition wasn't related to their present situation," Cole offers. "I'm constantly shimmering from one realm to another, maybe I'll bump into an ogre in one of them."

"Maybe..." says Leo, uncertain. "Anyway, how do we get the girls out of there?"

"There seems to be no vanquishing spell or potion," says Cole, stretching his neck to peer at the Book from his safe distance. "The only way to vanquish the Master of the Game is..." -- he reads it out loud -- "to beat him in his own game?? That's new."

"His own game," says Leo. "Which game?"

"The Royal Game of the Goose," says David, still looking at the Book of Shadows.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"What was that?" says Piper, casting a wary look around.

"I don't know," says Paige, "but it was weird."

One minute ago they were in the middle of a meadow, surrounded by nothing but grass. Then they took a few steps and the world around them flickered and, all of a sudden, there's a lake a few steps to the left. And trees where there were no trees before. As if with a few steps they had actually walked several yards.

"I like it less and less..." Phoebe sighs.

Suddenly, they hear a flapping sound coming from above. The girls look up just in time to see a huge bird that looks like something come out of a nightmare: it's about fifteen feet high, with fiery red eyes and dark ruffled feathers, and it comes flying straight to them. Piper raises her hands, but before she can use her powers the bird takes her in his beak, and flies upward again.

"Oh my God!" Phoebe yells, horrified.

"Piper!" Paige calls out, reaching out for her sister.

She's deeply relieved when a chiming sound is followed by the feeling of her hand clasping around Piper's wrist. Her relief doesn't last long, though, as she realizes that, instead of orbing Piper to her, like she saw Leo do one week ago, she orbed herself to Piper, and is now hanging in space several yards above the ground, while Piper screams:

"Orb us back to the ground, you're gonna break my arm!!!"

Before Paige can do so, the bird suddenly lets go of Piper, and the two sisters are falling fast towards the ground, shrieking in terror. Fortunately, Paige regains her wits in time to orb them both back to the ground safely, but when they look around they see that they are in a completely different location and, what's worse, Phoebe is nowhere to be found.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"The Royal Game... of the Goose?" says Cole, between worried and amused.

"It's a board game," David explains. "My cousins and I used to play it quite often when we were kids. You see, everything is here," -- he points at the pictures as he names them -- "the Prison, the Inn, Death... the Bridge," he adds, looking at Cole.

"Okay," says Leo, looking at the pictures. "So we have to go there and... play this game?"

"Apparently," says Cole, uncertain. "How do we win it?" he asks, turning to David again.

"The first player to reach the last field wins," says David. "It's a race game: you roll the dice, advance your counter by as many fields as the sum of them, and if you land one of the 'special houses' you are rewarded... or punished. The Bridge, for example..." he starts to say, then he thinks again. "Listen, we're wasting time: I'd better explain it to you on the way."

"On the way?" says Cole, raising an eyebrow. "Oh no, buddy, there's no 'on the way' for you: you're not going anywhere. Leo and I are, but..."

"What do you mean, I'm not going anywhere?" says David, frowning. "It's my girlfriend there, like hell I'm not going with you!"

"David, be reasonable," says Leo, standing between the two men. "You may think you've learned a lot about the magical world on the past few days, but, trust me, you haven't seen half of it yet. It would be way too dangerous: we could get lost of each other there, and you wouldn't have the means to come back, nor to protect yourself."

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much," says David, annoyed. "And I'm the only one here who knows the rules of this game. I **_am_** going with you and that's it."

"Damn it, David," says Cole, "if I take you with us, Paige will be gathering the ingredients for a potion to vanquish me first thing when she gets back here!"

"I can handle Paige," says David, stubbornly.

"Yeah, like anyone could tell a Halliwell what to do!" Cole snorts. "Anyway, that's not the point: the point here is, we don't know what we're gonna find there, and..."

"That's exactly my point!" says David. "**_I_** know! Or, at least, I know more about that world than the both of you together."

Before Cole can make a caustic remark, Leo's hand falls on his shoulder, pulling him back.

"Excuse us for a second," Leo says to David, while he pulls Cole not so gently towards the other side of the kitchen.

"Will you cool down already?" he whispers. "As much as I don't like the idea of taking an innocent to a demonic realm, David is right: we need all the help we can get, and right now he's the only help we can get."

"Oh, for crying out loud! He's just gonna stand in the way!..." Cole protests.

"Hey!" says David. "I'm standing right here, you know?"

"The guy may not have powers," says Leo, "but he has brains, he has proved it already."

Cole sighs heavily but says nothing, and Leo pursues:

"And I'll make sure Paige doesn't vanquish you. Now, come on, we have a game to play."

Turning to David, he says, in a conciliatory manner:

"All right, the three of us are going together. Just try to stay close to me while we're there, so that I can heal you if you get hurt." Walking towards the Book of Shadows, he adds: "Now let's see **_how_** we get there."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Phoebe watches in dismay as the bird and her sisters disappear in the distance.

"Oh God..." she moans. "Now we are screwed!..."

Afraid that another bird might show up, she rushes towards the woods. Phoebe considers calling out for Leo again, but soon dismisses the idea: she knows Piper was right when she said that, if he could answer, he'd already have. Letting out a heavy sigh, she runs her hands across her hair, considering her options. She can try and find her sisters, but she has no idea where to search. She can stay here and wait for Cole and Leo to come for the rescue, but apparently they don't have any idea of where she is, either. Leo won't answer to their calls. Cole... Phoebe bites her lower lip, uncertain. Summoning him would be a long shot. And a rather dangerous one, too, considering it'd be Belthazor she'd be summoning, not Cole. Yet she can't think of anything else to do. Cole was able to control his demonic self in the past; he never hurt her, even in his demonic form. When a large shadow shows her that another bird is flying over the trees, Phoebe recoils further into the woods, deciding that desperate times call for desperate measures. She takes a deep breath and starts to chant:

_"Magic forces, black and white,  
reaching out through space and light:  
be he far or be he near,  
bring the demon Belthazor here."_

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Piper and Paige have been walking silently side by side for ten minutes when Piper says:

"Paige?"

When Paige turns to her with inquisitive eyes, Piper proceeds, blushing slightly:

"I'm sorry for having been so harsh on you earlier. I know it wasn't really your fault. I mean, you definitely shouldn't have read the spell out loud when you didn't know what it was but..." -- she sighs, giving Paige a sheepish look -- "we all make mistakes."

"That's okay," says Paige, smiling as she puts her arm around her sister's shoulders. When Piper winces, Paige immediately retracts her arm, saying: "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry! I should have healed you! Here, let me see your arm."

Paige puts her hands on Piper's arm; while they start to glow softly, Piper adds, smirking:

"I guess sometimes PMS can cause more damage than demons, huh?"

"Tell me about it," says Paige, giggling. "Thanks goodness you didn't share **_that_** with me: it's bad enough that I have my one share of it every month."

They start walking again, and Paige asks, as the thought strikes her:

"Wasn't it Cole who got your other power last week?"

"Yes," says Piper. Then she adds, with a mischievous glint in her eyes: "And he has indeed been kind of edgy during those last few days..."


	4. All Aboard

Note: I know, I know, it's not nice to leave the readers hanging like that! I'm awfully sorry! Blame it on a new job **_and_** a writer's block.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"What do you mean, the Elders don't know anything about this Master of the Game fellow?" says David, frustrated. "Aren't they supposed to have all the answers?"

"You'd be surprised..." Cole grunts.

Leo is standing before them, not looking very happy himself. The Elders know nothing about the Master of the Game... at least, nothing that he, Cole and David haven't already found out in the Book of Shadows. He turns to Cole and says, clearly uneasy:

"Cole, I hate to ask you this but, since the Elders don't know anything, do you think you could...?" -- he motions downwards, leaving the question hanging.

"Sure," Cole promptly says. "I'll be right b..." -- he suddenly gasps, bending over and leaning on the kitchen's table for support.

"What's wrong?" says Leo, taking a step towards him.

"Back off!" Cole says between clenched teeth, and something in his voice makes Leo and David quickly take a few steps back.

David's eyes grow as big as possible as they see Cole morph into Belthazor, still grabbing the edge of the table and breathing heavily.

"What's... w-what's this?" he stammers, still backing away, until the refrigerator prevents him from going any further.

"Just stay close to me," says Leo, tensely, keeping his eyes on Belthazor and reaching out for David's arm, ready to orb them out of here if needed. He can see that Cole is holding his demon self back with great effort, and feels deeply relieved when he finally morphs back into his human form.

"What happened?" Leo asks, as Cole falls heavily on a chair.

"Phoebe," says Cole, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "She summoned Belthazor."

Leo gives him an intrigued look and he proceeds, in a tired voice:

"Now I understand what you meant when you said that their calling was somehow blurred: I could hear her chanting, but her magic seemed weakened, not strong enough to take me to her. Instead, it pushed Belthazor into surfacing."

Cole cautiously stands up, still leaning on the table, and waits until he's sure he can trust his legs again. Then he lets go of the table, saying:

"But at least now I've got enough information about the realm they are in to shimmer us there." -- he then turns to David -- "Do you still wanna go with us?"

David hesitates just for a split second before saying in a fairly steady voice:

"Yes."

"You can't say no one warned you," Cole sighs, holding out his hands.

As Leo and David each holds one of his hands, Cole shimmers out with them.

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"Are you sure we're going in the right direction?" says Piper, stopping and giving a frustrated look around. "At this point, we should have already reached the place where that freak bird attacked us."

"It's hard to say, considering I was hanging in space and screaming at the top of my lungs," says Paige, scratching her head. "But," she adds, as she surveys the surroundings, "I'm afraid this is not the problem here."

Piper gives her an inquisitive look, and Paige says, pointing at a weeping willow a few yards to the right:

"We have been walking for a lot of time now, and every time I look to the right that tree is there."

"Paige, it can't be the same tree," says Piper, giving the tree a doubtful look.

"Do you see any other willow trees?" says Paige, waving her hand around. "If it's not the same tree, then where's the one I saw five minutes ago?"

"So, what do you think is going on?" says Piper. "We're walking, but we're not moving?"

"We were moving when we started," says Paige, "because the tree was a couple of yards ahead. But when we lined up with it, we seem to have reached the limit."

"That's weird," says Piper, cautiously. "Do you wanna try orbing?"

"Sure. Give me your hand."

They're upset, but not really surprised when Paige orbs them out and then back in the same spot. The two sisters exchange a worried look, and Piper says:

"There is some kind of magical barrier preventing us from redoing our steps, isn't it?"

"Apparently," says Paige. "Wanna try other directions?"

"We have to try **_something_**," says Piper, with a sigh.

After a few minutes they have learned that Paige can orb them only inside the limits of a large square area. They have tried walking out of the square in three directions already, with no visible results, and are now standing next to the fourth edge of the square, uncertain.

"We'd be putting even more space between us and Phoebe," says Paige.

"If this place was linear, yes, we would, but I don't think it's linear at all," says Piper. "I bet that the minute we take another step, the world will flicker around us, and we'll find ourselves in a totally different place, with no means to come back here."

"So," says Paige, nervously increasing her grip on Piper's hand, "you think Phoebe...?"

"Could be anywhere by now," says Piper, tensely.

The two sisters then take a deep breath and take one step ahead.

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"Can you sense them?" Cole asks.

"Sort of," says Leo, frowning. "You were right: they are in this realm. But I can't locate them." -- he waves his head, frustrated.

"If this place is anything like the real game," says David, looking around and surveying the meadow they've just shimmered in, "there's only one direction we can go, and it'll lead us to field 63 -- that's the last field. I suppose right now we're on the edge of field 1, and the girls must be somewhere between here and field 63."

"And field 63 would be...?" says Cole, raising one eyebrow.

"This way," says David as he starts walking, and Cole and Leo follow.

"How do you know this is the right direction?" Leo asks as he catches up with David.

"I don't," says David, still walking. "But as I've told you, there's only one possible direction, so if it's not the right direction, we're gonna find out pretty soon, when something blocks our way."

"Weren't you supposed to know the rules?" Cole snaps, from behind them.

"**_Those_** are the rules," says David, turning around to face him.

Leo lets out a heavy sigh, wishing he could just proceed and let the two men behind to work on their differences: Cole has one strong temper, but he seems to have found his match with David. Under different circumstances, Leo might find it amusing, but right now he's too concerned about the girls' situation -- not to mention their own. Still, he knows they have to stay together, so after a couple of steps he takes a deep breath and turns around, saying:

"Listen, you two..."

Before he can finish the sentence, Leo accidentally steps on a rock and loses his balance. As he falls backwards, the world flickers around him, and when he lands on the ground he finds himself in a difference place, with Cole and David not in sight.

Leo jumps back to his feet, but Phoebe comes out of nowhere and bumps into him, causing them both to stumble to the ground.

"Leo?" she says, when she recognizes him. "Thank God it's you!"

Phoebe throws her arms around Leo's neck, and he promptly hugs her back, relieved to have found at least one of the girls.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"Yes," she says. "But I don't know where Piper and Paige are. There was this huge bird that..."

"Bird?" says Leo, pulling away from her and looking her in the eyes. "Could it have been a goose?"

"A goose?" Phoebe says, bewildered. "Hum, I suppose yes, a giant, hellish goose... Why?"

"David believes we're trapped in this realm playing some kind of twisted version of a game called _The Royal Game of the Goose_."

"David?" says Phoebe, arching her eyebrows. "Oh dear, you didn't bring David here, did you?"

"Actually, we did," says Leo, grimacing. "I mean, Cole did. I mean..."

"Cole? Where is he? Where are they?" Phoebe asks, worried. She wanted Cole to be here, alright. But she wanted him here by her side, where she could keep an eye on him and know that he was fine, not lost somewhere in this freak realm.

"I don't know," Leo says, apologetically. "They were just a couple of steps behind me, and then they were gone. And you came along," he adds, frowning slightly as he remembers her sudden appearance. "Where did you come from, by the way?"

Phoebe looks behind, towards the place she came from, but she doesn't see any signs of the woods where she was hiding before she got tired of waiting and decided to try her luck in the open.

"I'm not sure," she says, scratching her head. "This place is weird: you take a few steps, and out of a sudden you have walked several yards."

"Well," says Leo, standing up and holding out his hand, "if David is right, we're all heading towards the last field, and that's where the game ends."

"And what's in the last field?" Phoebe asks, taking the hand he offers and standing up, too.

"He didn't have time to tell me," Leo sighs, as they start to walk. "But I doubt we're gonna like it."


End file.
